Recumbent - Please critique my mock diagram for Cruzbike conversion

I am on the point of making a decision to buy a Cruzbike conversion
kit and have done a mockup drawing of the planned conversion.

Please critique my drawing and warn me of potential shortfalls. The
lowest point of the frame WITHOUT mounting the Cruzbike seat is 23.25
inches and I am 5'6" tall. Would this be too tall for my height?



I plan to rotate the existing handlebars downward and if I fail to find a comfortable position, I will change the handlebars for something else.

Thank you for your feedback and ideas.

Victor

I'm guessing from the drawing you're planning to put the crank ahead of the front wheel, making a short-wheelbase recumbent.

The seat bottom on my homebuilt recumbent is 23.75 inches off the pavement. This is comfortable for me. I'm 5'10"

Some questions:

(1) How far will you be able to turn the handlebars/fork without knocking a foot off a pedal?
(2) How will you route the chain to the rear wheel in such a way that you can still pedal while turning?
(3) Looks like you'd have plenty of space to haul cargo behind the seat. That's a definite plus.
(4) Okay, it just dawned on me you're building an e-bike. I think if you move the batteries farther back, it might equalize weight distribution between the two wheels. Seems to me there's a handling reason for not wanting more than half the weight on the front wheel, compared to the rear wheel, but I don't remember what that reason is.
(5) If you have access to the bike, you should be able to remove the seat and put a piece of plywood where you plan on putting the seat bottom. Then you can check out the geometry using your own legs.

LWB, he said it was a "Cruz Bike" conversion.
That would be a front wheel drive bike so there is no chain going to the rear wheel.
I suspect he will move the electric hub motor to the rear wheel, DR to the front.

OP, I've never been on a Cruz Bike, but I can't get my head around the idea of front steering with attached pedals. Must work, some folks seem to like it, I just think it would feel cumbersome.

O.o . . . this makes my head hurt . . . organization, measurements : ( don't yell at me, we need geometry here, not guestimation

p.s. . . my god, you did this on MS paint didn't you?

. . . p.p.s. . . . i like the colors : )

On the Cruzbike setup, you move the BB out to accomodate leg length. You'll need another 10-12 inches between that and the fairing, to acomodate crank length and feet. So, as shown, your toes will hit the fairing. Otherwise, it ought to work. Can't say how it'll handle or how weight distribution will affect the FWD, though.

Thanks BlazingPedals. And yeah, the diagram was not a blueprint for manufacturing rather a concept illustration.

I think there is going to be a problem with the cranks...
I assume that the red circle is the chainwheel?
The cranks have to be mounted to the frame, NOT the fork.

I want to know if you want this bike to be front wheel or rear wheel drive.
Maybe you should just buy a ready made recumbent.

Just a hint, if you can't weld, you might want to use fiberglass, like I did.

I think there is going to be a problem with the cranks...
I assume that the red circle is the chainwheel?
The cranks have to be mounted to the frame, NOT the fork.


Hotbike, are you familiar with Cruzbike? It is a moving bottom bracket design. The front triangle is directly attached to the fork and steerer tube. There is no hard interference until the bottom bracket gets so close it's riding on the tire. The advantage of a cruzbike kit is that it's a fairly inexpensive way to convert a standard bike into a recumbent.

Okay, I just Googled cruz bike conversion kit, and now I see what you're up to.

The Fiberglass Ladies Bicycle has an alternate seat position, and the fairing can be replaced with cranks, so, I can have an SWB recumbent. I used ten layers of fiberglass, so please don't question it's strength.
I have found that I can coast, while sitting on the lower part of the frame, with my feet up (on the dashboard) behind the fairing. It really reaches a wicked speed downhill.

So I'll go along with your plan, but leave enough room for the "footbox" area of the fairing. (I didn't).

Cruzbike looks like you could leave the E-hub up front and adjust the chain drive in the back so your passenger becomes a stoker if they were so inclined.